Overjoyed

Chapter 164 Overjoyed (Happy New Year)

Inside the Chixiao Laboratory, Qiao Yuan led Hu Tu to a spacious hall, accompanied by Professor Daisy, Deputy Director Wang, and Associate Professor Li.

From the outside, apart from its shape resembling a giant ruby, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.

Now that we're inside, the outside world, seen through the symmetrical curtain wall with its numerous gemstone facets, appears fragmented, like a world torn apart.

The interior exudes a futuristic retro style. Looking around, you can see many old-world Eastern and Western elements. The offices, windows, and decorations all fit the polygonal structure of the gemstone-cut curtain wall, creating a very unified overall style.

Based on his first impression, this place was like a work of art, with every detail meticulously crafted and full of asymmetrical beauty.

Qiao Yuan stepped onto the gray-white glass-coated floor and, led by Deputy Director Wang, they entered the glass elevator on the left.

The floor, elevators, walls, handrails, and ceiling all feature glass elements, much like the one I had at Bubble Plaza.

But in addition to glass, there is also wood as structural support, creating an atmosphere that is both avant-garde and full of old-fashioned classic charm.

The wood is also light-colored, seemingly coexisting with the glass, exuding a sense of technology.

The Chixiao Laboratory Building has a total of thirty floors.

As the elevator ascended, Qiao Yuan gradually saw a huge glass cube engulfing a ball of crimson flames in the center of the building.

The cube floats in the air, possessing a powerful multi-force field that seems to seal it away.

The flame seemed to possess advanced intelligence. Although it was clearly confined in the laboratory, it was observing them at all times. At this moment, it instantly became interested in the new faces, including Qiao Yuan. The flame gradually condensed into a woman's face, which was quite similar to Qin Xue's appearance. This made Qiao Yuan's eyes suddenly narrow.

Hu Tu was completely stunned, and instinctively blurted out, "What—what is that?"

Deputy Director Wang seemed to be a frequent visitor. He smiled and shook his head slightly, explaining, "Don't be afraid. This fire is a natural elemental life form called the Crimson Sky Clan. They come from other universes and possess the power to bewitch and manipulate people. They are adept at creating negative effects such as killing, war, and chaos."

"But they themselves are of great value and extremely rare. There are only a handful of such places in the entire Apocalypse Federation, and our Galaxy University is fortunate to have one of them. Just like the name of this experimental building, the research on it is not yet over."

Hu Tu gradually realized what was happening, and the intense discomfort lessened somewhat.

Qiao Yuan remained silent throughout, but it was certain that this life form named Chi Xiao seemed unable to probe his inner thoughts.

Because he had clearly felt that the other person was looking at him, but in the end, it was Qin Xue who materialized, not Yan Baobao.

Now, he felt that he was being secretly observed by the other party.

It's really fun.

What kind of life form is it that the entire Apocalypse Alliance only has ten copies of?

Unfortunately, there's no timeline today, otherwise he would definitely go check it out.

What a pity.

Only associate professors are allowed to enter this experimental building, and even he probably won't be able to enter for a very long time.

Oh dear, there's so much to do today!

Furthermore, even without studying the Crimson Sky life form, the details of this laboratory alone might be enough to allow him to break through many times.

Qiao Yuan pondered and felt that he should improve the ascension rank as soon as possible and increase the number of daily timeline attempts.

Seven times a day is a lot, but not too much either. Although, just now at the Wugen Library, I was indeed a bit too greedy.

But he doesn't regret it.

Previously, he could only encounter divine power by chance, purely by luck. But now, he realized that Galaxy University itself was a true treasure.

By setting anchor points through inherited combat techniques, one can directly encounter many senior students who have ascended to godhood in the school and obtain various kinds of divine power.

At this point, they finally stopped on the nineteenth floor, stepped out of the glass elevator, and arrived at a gray-blue conference room.

At the entrance, sixteen teachers from the Academic Affairs Office and three scientists in white coats arrived one after another, their eyes mostly fixed on Qiao Yuan.

After Deputy Director Zhang, the last person to hold the position of Director of the Academic Affairs Office for freshmen was Song Tianhe.

Under Deputy Director Wang's introduction, Qiao Yuan nodded slightly to the man, a handsome young man with black hair, slightly wide-set eyebrows, a high nose, and rather long lips. He was about thirty years old and wearing a white suit. Time had not left any marks on him.

His aura was close to the seventh level of sublimation, making him the strongest teacher he had ever seen at the school.

I remember that Deputy Director Wang was at the sixth rank.

Director Song is even better; he must have already reached the sixth level of awakening and is attempting to break through to the sixth level.

Otherwise, one could advance to the seventh rank at any time during the awakening stage and enter the higher-level sublimation.

Director Song seemed very busy. Through his ability to discern subtle signs, Qiao Yuan could sense that the other party looked like he had just arrived from outside the school, with a faint scent of car fragrance and a hint of rouge on him.

The other person looked at Qiao Yuan with a smile and asked, "Hmm, what inherited combat techniques did you choose today?"

Qiao Yuan was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected that Director Song would care about such trivial matters.

Even Ms. Daisy hadn't inquired about it.

He immediately pursed his lips and said, "They are all combat techniques that fit the pioneer sequence, namely the technique of using the opponent's force against them and the technique of insight, which are quite suitable for me."

"That's good. Suitability is the most important thing. There's no need to blindly follow the most powerful option." Director Song was quite pleased. He then took Qiao Yuan's hand and led him to the head seat at the long table in the conference room. He coughed and said to the deputy directors and associate professors present, "I'm sure you all know Qiao Yuan. This young man who dares to challenge the Goddess of Heavenly Secrets is truly surprising and commendable. I even made a special trip back to the school today."

Today's commendation ceremony felt more like a one-man show for him, even though Associate Professor Li, Teacher Daisy, and Hu Tu were also present.

Seeing them all sit down on the left, Qiao Yuan quickly said, "Director Song, you flatter me. I only did my bit of work. It was all thanks to the contributions of Professor Daisy, Hu Tu, Associate Professor Li, and Deputy Director Zhang. How could I dare to take it all on myself?"

His words immediately drew nods of approval from all the teachers present, who looked on with admiration.

Daisy stood up and laughed, "Qiao Yuan is too modest. On the contrary, I was ultimately of no help to the Heavenly Mystery Goddess."

"Teacher Daisy, you flatter me," Qiao Yuan shook his head slightly. "Actually, I was very nervous at the time. I was worried that my sister Yan Baobao would fight with the Goddess of Heavenly Secrets."

Director Song had been listening quietly without interrupting until now, when he finally spoke: "Being nervous is a good thing, but courage is the most valuable quality. Alright, this commendation is mainly for you."

"No need to be modest. Your achievements saved six major districts and prevented the deaths of countless people. Although Daisy, Elder Li, and others also helped, it all started with you. Just like the motto that Emperor Yaoguang wrote for our Galaxy University: We should strive for self-improvement and never give up."

Director Song went straight to the point: "You were already in the pioneer sequence, so you can come to the Crimson Sky Laboratory anytime from now on. I'll give you the status of a trainee lab technician and have you help out in the tenth research room on the third floor."

Qiao Yuan was overjoyed.

He had just been thinking that if the research in this lab could be viewed through a timeline, it would be perfect for making breakthroughs, which would seem more reasonable and convincing.

In the past, whether you used the mask of darkness or stumbled upon the truth, it could only be used to make breakthroughs, but it could not become part of your resume.

Having this status as a trainee lab technician is equivalent to being officially appointed, much like the difference between a wandering immortal and a true master in mythology.

In this way, his reliance on the mask of darkness will be further reduced, greatly decreasing the risk of being watched by the Goddess of Heavenly Secrets.

Wow, perfect!

Qiao Yuan immediately thanked Director Song: "What are the working hours here at the lab? I live in Jiangnan Building, so I can come directly over after school."

Director Song was increasingly pleased: "The laboratory is different from the school. We often have to work until the early hours of the morning, or even all night. Don't push yourself too hard. Don't let it interfere with your studies during the day. Help as much as you can."

"Okay, then I'll try to come every night from now on, and go back when I'm tired."

There are still 10 breakthroughs needed to reach the second-tier awakening. With this shortcut, it should be much faster.

Even advancing to the third rank would be ahead of schedule!

This trainee lab technician's identity has been synchronized to his DNA code. In the future, he can simply verify his identity when entering the Chixiao Experimental Building.

"In addition, there is this vibration bracelet. When encountering danger, you can choose to activate it actively or passively, instantly covering the entire body and having a shock-absorbing effect. It is also a product of the Chixiao Laboratory. Its full name is Vibration V13 Energy Shield. It can be used a total of three times, with each use lasting up to five minutes."

"The healing elixir, the Heavenly Elixir, that we sent to you earlier, was developed in this laboratory in collaboration with Kunlun Tianque."

product."

Qiao Yuan's eyes gleamed as he looked on.

It was a very ordinary-looking gray-white bracelet, which Director Song personally put on him.

The reward from the school was better than he had imagined; this thing was awesome.

The energy shield bracelet that was a reward for the school rankings was already quite powerful, but compared to this V13 bracelet, it was utterly insignificant.

Although it can only be used three times, each time it lasts for 5 minutes and also has a shock-absorbing effect.

Once he dons the fluid energy mech suit, forming a double-layered shield, he will possess super-strong combat power for 5 minutes—another trump card!

Today's harvest far exceeded my expectations.

After accepting the gift, he said a few words, mainly expressing his gratitude and his goals for his future position in the laboratory.

Next up was Hu Tu, who stood up along with Ms. Daisy and others to receive the same commendation.

There weren't any medals or anything like that this time, but it was clear to him that Professor Daisy was finally on the verge of being promoted to associate professor.

Hu Tu praised the hacker and allowed him to help out in the school's IT department as an intern, just like him. Hu Tu was overjoyed and kept thanking Director Song.

Qiao Yuan was also delighted. In this way, Hu Tu's advancement to the second or even third tier would likely be much faster, preventing him from falling further behind.

After that, he and Hu Tu got to know all the deputy directors and associate professors present, including Deputy Director Zhang.

This was a great opportunity to get to know all the senior students in the freshman teaching office.

I've become a familiar face to some people.

A moment later, Director Song invited him to the floor-to-ceiling window on the outside of the conference room.

Qiao Yuan walked over calmly.

Director Song seemed to be looking at something, and pointed for him to look as well: "Qiao Yuan, what can you possibly see from here?"

"Do you understand why today's awards ceremony is being held at the Chixiao Experimental Building?"

Qiao Yuan seemed lost in thought, gazing once more at the world torn apart by countless gemstone facets, and murmured, "The prosperity we see is merely the surface; the world at its core remains fragmented—"

"Hmm," Director Song of the Academic Affairs Office nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation in his eyes, "That's right, this magnificent silver..."

The Moon Capital is merely a temporary paradise, not even a true secluded haven, and it could collapse at any moment.

"Everyone has things to do, regardless of success or failure, regardless of the outcome, just strive to have a clear conscience."

"Without further ado, I wish you success in finding your own path in the Crimson Sky Laboratory."

With expectation in his eyes, Director Song gently patted his shoulder and left.

Qiao Yuan watched them go, recalling the faint scent of rouge on the other person, but after getting to know them, they didn't seem like the type to frequent brothels.

He had no clue as to the exact reason, so he simply gave up.

[As a freshman at Galaxy University, I participated in Project Darkness and made a crucial and significant contribution. As a result, my credit score has increased by 1300 points, bringing my total to 4150 points.]

I remember last night, the Legalist school also rose by 1300; the returns were simply explosive.

Although he has managed to get into shops with a credit score of 1500 many times these days, he has actually seen many places with credit scores as high as several thousand when he went to Sunset District, Chang'an District, Weilun New District, and Tiannan District. He didn't even have the right to enter.

For example, Jiang Mingyue's Jiang Mansion had a threshold of 3000 points.

In other words, anyone who can enter the Jiang family mansion must have a credit score of at least 3000.

Credit is not absolutely equal to strength, but it still carries significant weight.

Before he knew it, it was almost 11:30 a.m. He left the Chixiao Experimental Building with Hu Tu and Teacher Daisy. There was no timeline today; he would come back tomorrow evening to dig deeper.

As lunchtime approached, Yan Baobao went to Yu Jin ahead of time, and the two of them simply headed straight to the cafeteria.

"Your V13 energy shield is so cool! Sigh, but I'm not bad either. I don't have to put up with those guys' jerks in the club anymore."

"The Information Department, oh, that's much more advanced than a club. You might meet a lot of seniors there."

Qiao Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "That's good news."

It's rare to get a bowl of fish soup rice today; I'll bring it directly to Tu Shanlin later.

He served his food quickly and went home even faster, which made Hu Tu give him the middle finger.

"Qiao Yuan? Qiao Yuan, please wait a moment."

As soon as he stepped out of the cafeteria, he heard a strange female voice coming from behind him.

Qiao Yuan looked at it strangely and found that it was a fair-skinned girl with a high ponytail and wearing a black dress.

The other person calmly walked over and smiled at him, saying, "I wonder if I could take up a little of your time, Qiao Yuan? Let's move to another place. Lady Lucy would like to have a chat with you."

"Lucy?" He frowned slightly, feeling quite puzzled.

The girl said with certainty, "That's right, it's Elizabeth Lucy, your sister's classmate. Please allow me to speak with you."

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